IPL 2020 | MI vs RR: 3 Reasons Why Mumbai manage clinical victory over Rajasthan

Rohit Sharma led Mumbai Indians are at the top of the table once again after defeating form-starved Rajasthan Royals in the 20^th match of the Indian Premier League on Tuesday, 6 October.

It was business as usual for Mumbai in Sharjah with the team firing in all departments and picking up a humongous 57-run victory to maintain their momentum. The pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, James Pattinson and Trent Boult stood out with the masterful control over the game and substitute fielder Anukual Roy took a blinder of a catch to make people stand and applaud from their homes. While all that happened in the second innings defending the massive 194 run target, earlier Suryakumar Yadav played the best match of his IPL career scoring an astonishing 79 off 47 balls.

On that note, here are the three reasons why Mumbai Indians flat-batted the Rajasthan challenge and now are at the top of the Indian Premier League 2020.

Suryakumar Yadav

Within the first 5 balls of him coming into the crease, Mumbai must have felt that they were in for something special. His first boundary came from an on-drive with Yadav caressing the balls between the mid-on and the short mid-wicket.

While runs kept coming, he faced an absolutely awful face height beamer from Jofra Archer that he could barely avoid. Getting hit by a bouncer later on, Yadav’s stood up and replied back with a six off the next delivery.

He was the chief architect of the Mumbai innings ably supported by Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya who made important contributions to take the game out of Rajasthan’s reach.

Jasprit Bumrah

This man is slowly, but surely returning to his prime. After picking up 2 wickets in his last match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Jasprit Bumrah produced the best figures of his IPL career tonight picking up 4 wickets for just 20 runs.

The MI pace bowling unit picked up a total of 8 wickets on the night and it again came to fore how much planning the Zaheer Khan-led MI thinktank does before coming into every game.

Kiwi pacer spoke at the end of the game and said that while he would love to see the ball doing more at the beginning of the innings, but the fact the team is hunting in pack is something satisfying to watch.

“I think the whole pack is working together. I think we have a pretty clear game plan. It's a good wicket, but the way we've managed to take wickets [has been good]. You're always challenged with quality players, intimidating you a bit. But I think I'd love to see the ball swing around a little more at the top. Hasn't been a huge feature of this tournament.”

Rajasthan top order just cannot catch a break

Despite making changes at the Rajasthan Royals’ top order things are not coming together for Steve Smith and his team. The top order has failed for three matches straight and Sanju Samson’s inconsistency debate once again has come to the fore. Smith himself has not spent a lot of time out there in the middle himself spending just 19 balls in his last three matches.

With Ben Stokes set to join the team on 10^th of this month, Rajasthan have to try and get their campaign back on track against probably the strongest side in this year’s IPL, the Delhi Capitals on Friday, 9 October.

Speaking after the game, Smith said that they do not need to panic and rather implement their plans on the field better to get the desired results. He also said that they would like to build some momentum before Stokes comes in.

“I don't think we need to panic too much. It's just about implementing our plans and playing good cricket for longer. Hasn't been a good last three games. Need to turn it around and get some momentum.”

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IPL 2020 | RR vs MI: What experts said as Suryakumar Yadav flourishes in Mumbai Indians win

Three in a row is what we can call it as we have had three back-to-back one-sided games in the Indian Premier League (IPL), this one coming courtesy a resounding victory of defending Champions Mumbai Indians against the Rajasthan Royals. Batting first, Rohit Sharma led side had a gala time in Abu Dhabi as they managed to score a more than competitive 193 in the first innings. Suryakumar Yadav in particular was brilliant with the willow as he played the best innings of his IPL career so far, scoring 79 off 47 balls hitting 11 boundaries and two maximums. In the bowling department, ever-reliable Jasprit Bumrah did it for Mumbai once again as he returned with the figures of 4/20 in the game. From Rajasthan’s point of view, Jos Buttler’s return to form was the only positive of the game as he scored 70 off 44 balls. But apart from him, no one else could provide any resistance to the Mumbai attack as the team was all out for 136 in the nineteenth over, handing the opposition a huge 57 run victory. Captains’ Viewpoints: Reacting to the win, Rohit Sharma, Mumbai captain said, “We strive to be out there and play well.” And played well is what his team did. The Mumbaikar further lauded his teammates, calling them exceptionally talented. “We have a lot of quality and it's about getting the job done. They all have a lot of confidence. They're all talented and they can take the game away on their day and it's all falling into place,” he said. “The conditions are helpful here for the quick bowlers. It was nipping around to start with and it's good to have bowlers who can exploit the conditions,” Sharma added praising fast bowlers especially Jasprit Bumrah. Calling fielding as one of the most important ‘controllables’ Rohit said that the team worked hard on that aspect of the game. “We also worked a lot on our fielding, because it's one of the controllables in the game and we made it a point to do that well,” he said. Saying that he and the management wanted Suryakumar to bat through the innings, Rohit was impressed by the senior pro in his side. “A good Surya innings was coming, I spoke to him before the game, and his shot selection was perfect today. We wanted him to bat till the end because he can innovate rather well,” concluded the winning captain. Steven Smith on the other hand had to face back to back three losses as the team hasn’t been able to pick up pace ever since leaving Sharjah. “I think losing wickets early doesn't help, we haven't been able to get off to a good start in the last three games,” Smith said lamenting over the loss of form of his openers,” Smith said. “Outside of Jos and Archer at the end, we have a bit of work to do on our batting,” he added keeping the focus on Rajasthan’s batting woes. Updating about Ben Stokes, the marquee player for this Rajasthan side, Smith said, “He (Stokes) is not out till the 10th I think. He is not too far away; hopefully, we can get a few wins before he's back and then gain momentum.” The 33-year-old further refused to get bogged down by the pressure of losses and said, “I don't think we need to panic too much, it is just about implementing our plans and playing some good cricket for longer.” “We haven't been able to do that in the last three games and we have to turn it around quickly. Hopefully, get a bit of momentum,” he concluded. Expert Opinion: Three of the most talked-about topics among the cricket experts today were Suryakumar, Buttler, and Bumrah. Talking about the game, Boria Majumdar, one of the finest cricket analysts said that with Jos Buttler's coming back in form and Ben Stokes joining the side soon, Royals would be primed to fare much better. Aakash Chopra, the cricketer turned commentator and cricket analyst predicted that with such huge wins, it is going to be a difficult week for some franchises as the gap between the worst and best teams would increase. Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar was impressed by the athletic catch that Kieron Pollard took to dismiss Jos Buttler, who at that time was looking more than just dangerous. Harsha Bhogle, one of the finest commentators in any form of the game retracted his status of the last day when he had asked IPL to send the purple cap to Kagiso Rabada. In another tweet, Majumdar pointed out the six that Surya hit after getting hit on the helmet and said that it was one of the most 'defining moments' of the league so far. Vimal Kumar, a senior journalist pointed out the dullness in the league saying that huge wins are becoming a norm, and hence run rate would play a crucial role going ahead in the tournament. After three losses, Rajasthan would look to bounce back when they next play the in-form Delhi Capitals on the 9th of October. On the other hand, Mumbai would look to continue their winning run, which is now three matches strong. The Blue and Gold would have ample time to practice taking on the Delhi Capitals on 11th October.

IPL 2020 | MI vs RR: Twitter reacts as Rohit's Mumbai thrashes Steve Smith's Royals

The match between the Mumbai Indians and the Rajasthan Royals turned out to be a damp squib but the netizens found enough moments to turn an otherwise dull contest into an interesting day. Twitter had a field day as various moments caught the eyeballs of cricket fans and social media uses. It was the Indian U-19 star Kartik Tyagi who caught the attention of cricket experts with his pace and accuracy. Resemblances of his action with Brett Lee impressed none other than Ben Stokes whom the Royals missed dearly in their failed chase against a strong Mumbai bowling. Stokes likened Tyagi’s bowling to a mixture of Ishant Sharma in delivery stride and Lee while running. As the Mumbai Indians started to lose momentum in the idle overs, the Suryakumar Yadav everyone was waiting to see in this season finally arrived for the men in blue. He played some audacious shots and although the brilliance of Jofra Archer tried to shun him, he showed exemplary courage and grit to bring out a reverse ramp against Archer after being hit on the badge of his helmet off a knuckleball from the Royals’ pacer. After Suryakumar Yadav’s excellent show with the bat, it was Bumrah’s turn to own the show tonight and the leader of the Mumbai Indians bowling attack started with a big wicket of Steve Smith and formed a formidable pair of bowling with Trent Boult to leave Royals reeling at 10/3 at some stage. Mumbai’s bowlers have been on top of the mark in the season but Jasprit Bumrah was not looking at his usual best but the night against Royals he put all his off days to rest. Just when the Royals were trying to resurrect their chase with Mahipal Lomror and Buttler looking to steady the ship, a sub fielder Anukul Roy ran backward to pluck a beauty of a catch to see the back of Lomror at the worst possible time for the men in pink. Mumbai was clinical in all departments and that blinder of catch by Roy was just icing on the cake for the men in blue. One of the oldest scripts in the history of the IPL has been Kieron Pollard’s special fielding at the boundary, plucking catches that seemed impossible for other players. The Indian Premier League is now 13-year-old but Pollard’s enthusiasm and athleticism have not gone down one bit and he showed it again on the night against Royals when he caught the deadly Jos Buttler at the long-on boundary when all were looking for the ball somewhere outside the rope. Powered by Froala Editor

IPL 2020 | MI vs RR: Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah star in Mumbai's table-topping victory

Brief Scores: Mumbai Indians 193/4 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 79, Rohit Sharma 35; Shreyas Gopal 2/28) beat Rajasthan Royals (Jos Butler 70, Jofra Archer 24; Jasprit Bumrah 4/20) by 57 runs. Mumbai Indians passed their test against Rajasthan Royals with flying colours to bag a 57-run victory and recapture the throne of the points table in the twentieth match of the Indian Premier League. Suryakumar Yadav's gallant 79* and Jasprit Bumrah's 4/20 took the biscuit, notwithstanding Jos Butler's six-laced 70 in RR's error-strewn 194-run chase on Tuesday, October 6 at Dubai. MI pace arsenal a force to be reckoned with MI's laser-guided new-ball salvo almost had RR filing a mercy petition. Offered a chance to shine after having warmed the bench for a couple of games, Yashasvi Jaiswal came a cropper as Trent Boult's mischievous away-slanter grazed his outside edge. Bumrah then took control of the steering wheel, banishing Steve Smith as keeper Quinton de Kock plunged to snaffle the lemon-cut. MI had done their homework for six-machine Sanju Samson too, with an angling Boult bumper rushing him into submission. If red-hot bowling had inflicted the damage hitherto, a gravity-defying pouch from substitute Anukul Roy brought Mahipal Lomror's downfall to leave RR gasping for breath. Butler wages a lone war to no avail The scoreboard now looming a pathetic 42/4, the onus was on Jos Butler to yield a divine intervention. And boy he did that in some style. The long-levers were deployed to a full monty as the right-handed behemoth pulverised anything a touch short over mid-wicket en route his savage 70 off 44 balls. A sense of calm was instilled in MI's dressing room when James Pattinson capped the lid on Butler's torment, his flat shovel blocked by Kieron Pollard at long-on. The catch looked spectacular in real-time, albeit replays suggested that he misjudged the trajectory at first and recovered later to make a straightforward grab deem brilliant. Once last-resort Rahul Tewatia bit the dust, the tail was nothing but cannon fodder for Bumrah & co. as MI rollicked to their fourth victory of the campaign. Mumbai go haywire after initial burst Harsha Bhogle had just cooed on-air that Mumbai Indians tend to adopt a rather conservative approach to begin with when the openers proved otherwise. An effortless extension of the arms fetched Rohit Sharma six over long-off while Quinton de Kock pulled a cheeky ramp out of his bag of tricks. The velocity of Jofra Archer wasn't spared either as the left-hander carted him for a four and a maximum with gusto. Kartik Tyagi, who replaced Jaydev Unadkat to make his IPL debut, was into the thick of the action early. The youngster played into Rohit's hands by banging one short and duly bore the brunt of a mighty deposit over square leg, albeit de Kock floundering a trigger-happy jab lent him his maiden IPL scalp in the very first over itself. Shreyas Gopal's double whammy then nipped MI in the bud, with a seemingly ominous Rohit and Ishan Kishan perishing to miscued hoicks. For a batsman of such grand stature, it's a tough pill to swallow that the captain has been dismissed by leg-spinners on ten occasions since the onset of 2017. Cometh the hour, cometh Surya The brains at MI promoted southpaw Krunal Pandya ahead of brother Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard to nullify the threat of Gopal. Though the gamble didn't quite bear fruit as Archer exploited his obvious weakness against the short stuff, Suryakumar Yadav traded vigilance with panache to hold MI's fort. His invigorating fifty was constructed on the grounds of whippy flicks, backfoot crunches and premeditated dabs. Tom Curran splurging 19 in the 18th over pomped the blue jerseys to cloud nine, with Yadav manufacturing a couple of lap-sweeps after Hardik was reprieved off a skier by the fast bowler himself. Yadav wears concussion as badge of honour Archer returning for the death-over duties was a spiteful episode which might've transported either of the two batsmen to a nearby hospital. He inadvertently let slip a 147kmph beamer as Hardik had his heart in his mouth before somehow ducking for cover. Yadav then copped a blow flush on the helmet badge, flummoxed by the deception of Archer's well-hidden knuckleball. As the old adage goes, revenge is a dish best served cold. Yadav exhibited nerves of steel to unfurl a 'Dilscoop' the very next delivery as even the opposition captain, Steve Smith nodded his head in acknowledgement. The lethal 76-run association for the fifth wicket compensated for the brief slug during the middle-phases, shepherding MI to a delirious 193/4, a total which proved more than enough for a self-deprecating RR batting unit. What's next in store? Both teams will meet the same opposition next as the IPL caravan rolls forward. Outplayed in all three departments tonight, Rajasthan Royals have no respite in store as they lock horns with an on-song Delhi Capitals on October 9, Friday. Mumbai Indians have four days to refill their tanks before they hit the field again in a blockbuster coup on Sunday, October 11.

India tour of Australia schedule confirmed, Blue Brigade to play the day-night Test in Adelaide

The schedule of the Indian team’s tour of Australia has been confirmed with the Blue Brigade playing their first day-night Test overseas in Adelaide. The Virat Kohli led team would travel to Australia right after the end of the IPL on November 10 reported ESPNCricinfo.com White ball cricket would start the competition with three ODIs in Brisbane followed by three T20Is in Adelaide. India’s second Pink ball Test, first outside India, would be played in Adelaide and the boxing day Test would be held at its natural venue of Melbourne. While the First test would be held between December 17 and 21, the Boxing Day Test is likely to be held from December 26-30 followed by Tests in Sydney and Brisbane. Before the Pink Ball test, to acclimatize to the conditions, the Indian team would play a warm-up Pink ball Test in Adelaide as well. Before making the official announcement, both Cricket Australia and the Board of Control for Cricket in India are waiting for the formal nods from the state governments in Australia. The Indian team and the Australian players playing in the IPL would require the permission of the Queensland Government for arrival and the SOP for the number of days in quarantine, which as yet not been decided.